THEY MAY all be singing from the same hymnbook, but they had better get used to sharing.
The Church of Scotland is expecting editions of its first new hymnbook in more than 30 years to be bought by fewer than one in 10 of the Kirk’s 600,000 members and has ordered just 40,000 copies to be printed.
The Church Hymnary Fourth Edition wi
ll be published this month at the Kirk’s General Assembly in Edinburgh, and has already attracted controversy. The new hymnal is viewed as being much more Scottish than previous editions, notoriously dropping the song Jerusalem, which praises "England’s green and pleasant land" - a line which grated on some Scots worshippers - and including a larger proportion of Scottish hymns and tunes.
To market the hymnal the Kirk has organised a network of "precentors", who lead singing, who will travel to churches who are deciding whether to buy the new volume.
They will have special ‘Songs of Praise’ nights at churches to teach the new hymns and promote the book.
But the decision to order only 40,000 copies of the new book has even surprised the publishers, the Norwich-based SCM-Canterbury Press.
A spokesman for the company said: "Obviously it’s up to the client, but given that the Church of Scotland has about 600,000 members it’s not very many. It is quite a surprise."
He admitted that new technology and fashions meant that the whole future of the hymnbook was in question. Some churches have taken to buying CD-Roms which include huge numbers of hymns and which can be regularly updated. Congregations can then select their hymns for the day and print them out on individual sheets which are given to parishioners at the door.
The secretary of the body working on the new book denied the Church lacked confidence in its new hymnbook.
Rev Charles Robertson, the Secretary of the Committee to Revise the Hymnary, said: "We expect the new book to be well-received by congregations, and there is a need for it.
"It’s our first new hymnary for over 30 years, and people are waiting for it to come out."
Robertson and the other members of the committee, whose work took eight years, have denied being swayed by political correctness, and have pointed out that the inspiring tune to ‘Jerusalem’ is still in the book, but with different words.
The committee have also bowed to critics who were enraged at the prospect of some hymns being axed.
Old favourites saved from the cull include ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’, which some criticised as too militaristic and ‘Abide With Me’, which was seen as outdated.
The cultural commentator and former MSP Mike Russell, said that the expected sluggish sales were in response to the "politically correct" agenda of the editors.
He said: "I would suggest that the small print run indicates worries about the book."
